Hariri Slams ‘Fabricated’ Claims Published in Hizbullah Daily

Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s media office slammed “fabricated” reports published in Hizbullah's al-Akhbar daily on Tuesday alleging the PM has suggested hikes in taxes and fuel prices as part of austerity measures planned by the government.

The office said in a statement that “al-Akhbar newspaper is specialized in circulating daily abuses of everything related to PM Saad Hariri. This newspaper said today that an economic and financial paper was allegedly prepared by Hariri and includes procedures in the form of daily fabrications of that newspaper.”

In its Tuesday publication, the daily alleged the PM prepared a “paper” suggesting cuts to salaries of state employees, hikes in taxes and fuel prices, and many other unpopular financial measures that affect low-income earners, according to the daily.

Hariri’s office added: “The reform paper required to reduce the state deficit and stop the waste of funds is a subject of official discussion with all components of the government. It will be translated into the draft budget to be submitted by the Minister of Finance to the Cabinet.

“Reports published by the daily are falsely attributed to Prime Minister Hariri, and include fabricated ideas to sabotage economic advancement and the government program,” said the statement.

I dont understand why Hariri did not leave it to Hezbollah and its stooges to run the country, and let them try to solve this mess without any unpopulas measures. It is quite simply not possible to get the financial situation under control without people from all the society being affected.

increasing the VAT on gas affects everyone differently. If one drives a low consumption car, it'll affect him less than the show off driving an S class or a powerful SUV. The same can be said for VAT on everything...

But the only real measure that should be taken is to recuperate the billions stolen by politicians. investigating Aoun's clan and Mustaqbal members should be the top priority.

Slams???? Everyone know it's coming but all lack balls. Be a man Saad, tell the state employees that you don't have the right to demonstrate when you're getting full wages for working only 10 to 15 hours a week the most. Not to mention the benefits and allowances that the retired have. Of course they will as well demonstrate and take it to the streets.
It has to stop!

Lebanon long ceased to be a free enterprise capitalist country. It's bloated bureaucracy, no accountability, rampant corruption from top to bottom, waste, dependency on government has led us to the current situation. We;'ve become basically a semi socialist country where government is all and be all. Everyone one wants a piece of it as that's where the money is. Now that reality has bitten everyone is scrambling. You have political parties who worship at the alter of government (re PSP and communists and Islamist). As Margaret Thatcher once said, the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money.

100% correct Rabiosa and this is exactly what Syria and Iran want in Lebanon. Depend on the state and in turn be 100% controlled by it. After all how can you have a dictatorship without it? Venezuela's economic success would not be there without it either lol.